International Inspiration Programme

The International Inspiration Programme brought into reality the ‘Singapore Vision’ – the promise made by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games bid team at the IOC’s Session in Singapore in 2005 to ‘reach young people all around the world and connect them to the inspirational power of the Games so they are inspired to choose sport’.

The Programme used sport to enrich the lives of millions of children and young people of all abilities, in schools and communities across the world, particularly in low and middle income countries, through the power of high quality and inclusive physical education, sport and play. This not only delivered the ambitions promised in Singapore - and contributed to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals - but also set the foundations for a true international legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Its vision was to enrich the lives of 12 million children and young people of all abilities, in schools and communities in 20 countries across the world. The Programme broke new ground in receiving the formal backing of the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee. This was the first time an Olympic Games Organising Committee had undertaken an international legacy programme of this kind.

The Programme also brought together a unique coalition of organisations: governed by the charity ‘International Inspiration’, chaired by Lord Seb Coe, it was an official component of the LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games) International Education Programme. Delivery was led by UK Sport, in partnership with the British Council and UNICEF. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Premier League were key partners providing funding and other support, and the British Olympic Foundation and the British Paralympic Association were also central to the Programme. In each country implementation was supported by UK expertise from the Youth Sport Trust, local implementing partners and the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee in each country.

Olympic and Paralympic medalists and sporting heroes such as David Beckham, Sir Chris Hoy, Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, Denise Lewis and Colin Jackson also joined forces to add their support to the initiative.

The International Inspiration Programme was completed in June 2014 and independently evaluated by Ecorys UK. Ecorys found that the Programme had far surpassed its original ambition, changed children’s and young people’s attitudes towards sport and contributed to positive change at three levels of society - in particular:

Over 25 million children and young people have been inspired

Over 250,000 practitioners (teacher, coaches and leaders) have been trained, giving future generations around the world a stronger, more sustainable foundation to build local and national sporting systems and structures

55 national policies, strategies and legislative changes have been influenced